And We Saw His Glory

And the Word became flesh 

and made his dwelling among us,

and we saw his glory, 

the glory as of the Father’s only Son,

full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

May our newborn Saviour grant you

the gift of Love,

the blessing of Hope,

and the fullness of Peace.

May our lives proclaim His glory.

Blessed Christmas

Joyeux Noël

Feliz Navidad

Fröhliche Weihnachten

  

                                                 In Christ Jesus,

                                                 Karen

A Bud Shall Blossom

His Holiness Pope Francis, on Wednesday, December 21, 2016 at the General Audience, urged the faithful to open their hearts to the Good News of the Saviour’s birth.

Pope Francis recalled the words of the prophet Isaiah, “the Lord himself will give you a sign: the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel” and also “a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.”

He said that the sense of Christmas transpires in both of these verses: “God fulfills his promise by coming in the flesh, (…) and He gives his people a new hope for humanity: eternal life”.
Christ, by coming in the flesh, has opened the way for us to ascend to the Father.

“When we prepare the Christmas crib in our homes and churches let us be attentive to the message of hope it embodies”.   With our gaze on the nativity scene that takes us to the little town of Bethlehem, the Pope said we can see revealed God’s love for each of us, however small or lowly:

We see it in Mary, who trusted in God’s word: “She is the Mother of Hope”.

Next to Mary is Joseph, the man of hope, who gave Jesus his name, which means “God saves”.  

In the crib we see the joy of the shepherds who represent the humble and the poor who were awaiting the Messiah.  They were the ones, he said, to receive with joy the peace proclaimed by the angels.

“Dear brothers and sisters: every time we say ‘yes’ to Jesus a bud blossoms into hope.  May we trust in this bud of hope” and open our hearts to the Good News of the birth of Jesus who came to save us”.

For more information please visit:  http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-open-your-hearts-to-the-good-news-of-christma

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We Give Thanks to God

And now, bless the God of all,
who has done wondrous things on earth;
Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb,
and fashions them according to his will!
May he grant you joy of heart
and may peace abide among you…

Sirach 50: 22-23

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Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.

Psalm 145:  10-11

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Thanksgiving and Praise to the Father

1359 The Eucharist, the sacrament of our salvation accomplished by Christ on the cross, is also a sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for the work of creation. In the Eucharistic sacrifice the whole of creation loved by God is presented to the Father through the death and the Resurrection of Christ. Through Christ the Church can offer the sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for all that God has made good, beautiful, and just in creation and in humanity.

1360 The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all his benefits, for all that he has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist means first of all "thanksgiving."

1361 The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of praise by which the Church sings the glory of God in the name of all creation. This sacrifice of praise is possible only through Christ: he unites the faithful to his person, to his praise, and to his intercession, so that the sacrifice of praise to the Father is offered through Christ and with him, to be accepted in him.

For more information from the Catechism of the Catholic Church please visit http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P41.HTM

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We give thanks to God for all the countless blessings bestowed upon us. 

I would like to thank you for the gifts of your friendship and faith, prayers and encouragement, ideas and inspiration.  I thank God for bringing us together on this journey.

Whether nearby, miles away, or across the globe, let us be united in Spirit as we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, the ultimate sacrifice of Thanksgiving.  All glory, honor and praise to our loving and gracious God!

Prayerful best wishes for a blessed Thanksgiving Day to you and your loved ones!

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All Saints: Blessed Are You

Sea of Galilee viewed from Mount of Beatitudes

  

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,

and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart,

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you

and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.

Rejoice and be glad,

for your reward will be great in heaven.”

Matthew 5:  1-12a

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“If there is one thing typical of the saints, it is that they are genuinely happy.  They found the secret of authentic happiness, which lies deep within the soul and has its source in the love of God.  That is why we call the saints blessed.  The Beatitudes are their path, their goal, their native land.  The Beatitudes are the way of life that the Lord teaches us, so that we can follow in his footsteps.  In the Gospel of today’s Mass, we heard how Jesus proclaimed the Beatitudes before a great crowd on the hill by the Sea of Galilee.”

Pope Francis

Homily, 1 November 2016

For more information please visit:  http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-celebrates-mass-at-malmo

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“As Catholics, we are part of a great family and are sustained in the same communion.  I encourage you to express your faith in prayer, in the sacraments, and in generous service to those who are suffering and in need.  I urge you to be salt and light, wherever you find yourselves, through the way you live and act as followers of Jesus, and to show great respect and solidarity with our brothers and sisters of other churches and Christian communities, and with all people of good will.

In our life, we are not alone; we have the constant help and companionship of the Virgin Mary.  Today she stands before us as first among the saints, the first disciple of the Lord.  We flee to her protection and to her we present our sorrows and our joys, our fears and our aspirations.  We put everything under her protection, in the sure knowledge that she watches over us and cares for us with a mother’s love.”

Pope Francis

Angelus, 1 November 2016

For more information, please visit:  http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-angelus-be-salt-and-light

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Contemplate the Sign of Love

 

  

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.

John 3:  16

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We exalt the Cross of Jesus, because in it God’s love for humanity was fully revealed. That’s what the Gospel of John reminds us of in today’s liturgy: “God so loved the world that He gave his only Son” (3:16). The Father “gave” the Son to save us, and this resulted in the death of Jesus, and his death on the Cross. Why? Why was the Cross necessary? Because of the gravity of the evil which enslaved us. The Cross of Jesus expresses both things: all the negative forces of evil, and all of the gentle omnipotence of God’s mercy….

When we look to the Cross where Jesus was nailed, we contemplate the sign of love, of the infinite love of God for each of us and the source of our salvation. The mercy of God, which embraces the whole world, springs from the Cross. Through the Cross of Christ the Evil One is overcome, death is defeated, life is given to us, hope is restored….

While we contemplate and celebrate the Holy Cross, we think with emotion of so many of our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted and killed because of their faith in Christ. This happens especially wherever religious freedom is still not guaranteed or fully realized. It happens, however, even in countries and areas which, in principle, protect freedom and human rights but where, in practice, believers, and especially Christians, encounter restrictions and discrimination….

On Calvary, there at the foot of the Cross, was the Virgin Mary (cf. John 19:25-27). She is Our Lady of Sorrows, whom we shall celebrate tomorrow in the liturgy. To her I entrust the present and the future of the Church, so that we may all always be able to discover and welcome the message of love and salvation of the Cross of Christ….

Pope Francis

Angelus, 14 September 2014

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

For the complete text please visit:

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2014/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20140914.pdf

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We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!

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Chapel at Calvary

Our Lady of Sorrows
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The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross as well as Our Lady of Sorrows are “favorites” of mine.  They became extra special to me during my first pilgrimage to the Holy Land on a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.  Encountering Calvary, seeing and touching the rock of Golgotha, had a spiritual, emotional and physical impact on me.  The pain and suffering of our Lord Jesus as well as our Blessed Mother Mary on Good Friday became real.  For me, for you, they suffered.  Our Lord Jesus died for my sins and those of the whole world. 

The human mind cannot fathom the infinite love and mercy of our God for us.  All we can do is devote our life to giving God all our love and thanks and glory.  May His will be done.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

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Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us;
and after this our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us O holy Mother of God,that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

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"There is a worldly or common idea of a king or queen: a person with great power and wealth. But this is not the kind of royalty of Jesus and Mary. Let us think of the Lord; the royalty and kingship of Christ is interwoven with humility, service and love. It is above all serving, helping and loving. Let us remember that Jesus on the Cross was proclaimed king with this inscription written by Pilate: “The King of the Jews” (cf. Mk 15:26). On the Cross, at that moment, he is shown to be King; and how is he King? By suffering with us and for us, by loving to the end, and in this way governing and creating truth, love and justice. Let us also think of another moment: at the Last Supper he bows down to wash the feet of his followers.

Consequently Jesus’ kingship has nothing to do with that of the powerful of this earth. He is a King who serves his servants; he demonstrated this throughout his life; and the same is true of Mary. She is Queen in her service to God for humanity, she is a Queen of love who lives the gift of herself to God so as to enter into the plan of man’s salvation. She answered the Angel: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord” (cf. Lk 1:38) and in the Magnificat she sings: God has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden (cf. Lk 1:48). She helps us. She is Queen precisely by loving us, by helping us in our every need; she is our sister, a humble handmaid.

And so we have already reached this point: how does Mary exercise this queenship of service and love? By watching over us, her children: the children who turn to her in prayer, to thank her or to ask her for her motherly protection and her heavenly help, perhaps after having lost our way, or when we are oppressed by suffering or anguish because of the sorrowful and harrowing vicissitudes of life. In serenity or in life’s darkness let us address Mary, entrusting ourselves to her continuous intercession so that she may obtain for us from the Son every grace and mercy we need for our pilgrimage on the highways of the world."

Pope Benedict XVI

General Audience

22 August 2012

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Perhaps, like me, you almost automatically turn to our Blessed Mother Mary countless times every day to ask for her intercession.  We know from experience that we can count on her "motherly protection and heavenly help" for all of life's challenges whether great and small.

On this feast of her Queenship let's consciously offer to Mary our love and thanks for the many gifts she gives to us.  May all our actions imitate her humble service to God and to humanity.  May she always reign as Queen of our heart, Mother of grace and mercy.  

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The Brightness of Eternal Light

“Gaze upon Him,

consider Him,

contemplate Him,

as you desire

to imitate Him.”

- Saint Clare of Assisi

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Saint Clare of Assisi calls each of us to a greater awareness of our Lord Jesus Christ present and active in our lives.  Clare was attracted to the ideals of Saint Francis:   his inspired preaching about God, poverty and love.   She was drawn to spiritual matters.  She intensified her prayer life.  She also embraced a life of poverty, yet one that was rich in works of charity and piety, which in turn attracted other women to join her as the Poor Ladies or Poor Clares.  The sisters’ daily life consisted mainly of prayer and penance, but all this was flavoured with the serenity of women who have joyfully chosen to follow Our Lord in poverty.

Saint Clare is indeed a “light that would enlighten the world” just as her expectant mother was told by a voice from heaven as she was praying for strength and serenity during her delivery.    

May this holy woman inspire and guide each of us to focus on Christ, our Light, and to share His Light with others.

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“Happy indeed is she who is granted a place at the divine banquet, for she may cling with her inmost heart to him whose beauty eternally awes the blessed hosts of heaven; to him whose love inspires love, whose contemplation refreshes, whose generosity satisfies, whose gentleness delights, whose memory shines sweetly as the dawn; to him whose fragrance revives the dead, and whose glorious vision will bless all the citizens of that heavenly Jerusalem.  For he is the splendor of eternal glory, the brightness of eternal light….”  

- from a letter by Saint Clare to Blessed Agnes of Prague

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“Blessed be you, my God, for having created me.”

- Saint Clare of Assisi

Sunset View from Assisi

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One Nation Under God

Immaculate Conception
Blessed Virgin Mary
Patroness of the United States of America

"I will espouse you to me forever:  I will espouse you in right and in justice,in love and in mercy;I will espouse you in fidelity,and you shall know the Lord."

Hosea 2:  21-22

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Father of all nations and ages,
we recall the day when our country
claimed its place among the family of nations;
for what has been achieved we give you thanks,
for the work that still remains we ask your help,
and as you have called us from many peoples to be one nation,
grant that, under your providence,
our country may share your blessings
with all the people of the earth.

Collect, Independence Day

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Blessed and Happy Independence Day to the United States of America!  We celebrate the freedom which comes from God as we give thanks for the riches He has bestowed upon us in the form of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  

A larger-then-usual group attended the weekday morning Holy Mass, most of whom were wearing some variation of red, white and/or blue, in solids, stripes, stars or other prints.  From the youngest toddler to the almost-104-year-old Monsignor it was beautifully apparent that all those gathered in thanksgiving were "one from many" ancestries united in prayer as the one family of God.  It was fitting that we had come together at a shrine of the Miraculous Medal under the patronage of our Blessed Mother Mary, the Immaculate Conception.

Today, in a special way, we give thanks for our faith and freedom.  

Each and every day may we share the faith entrusted to us and strive to ensure freedom for all God's people.

God bless America!  God bless you!

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Blessed Are You Who Believed

"Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

And Mary said:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for He has looked with favor on His lowly servant.  
From this day all generations will call me blessed:  
the Almighty has done great things for me, 
and holy is His Name."

Luke 1: 45-49

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Almighty ever-living God,

who, while the Blessed Virgin Mary was carrying your Son in her womb,

inspired her to visit Elizabeth,

grant us, we pray,

that, faithful to the promptings of the Spirit,

we may magnify your greatness

with the Virgin Mary at all times.

Collect, Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Listen, my faithful children:  open up your petals,

like roses planted near running waters;

send up the sweet odor of incense,

break forth in blossoms like the lily.

Send up the sweet odor of your hymn of praise;

bless the Lord for all He has done!

Proclaim the greatness of His name,

loudly sing his praises...

Sirach 39: 13-15 

May this Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary fill your heart with joy to overflowing!

May God grant us the grace to do His will, give Him all the glory, and share our blessings with all we meet.

God bless you!

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The Holy Spirit Has Been Poured Out Upon Humanity

Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end.

Amen.

Alleluia.

 Excerpt from the Sequence

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From the immense gift of love which is Jesus’ death on the cross, the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon humanity like a vast torrent of grace. Those who by faith are immersed into this mystery of regeneration are reborn to the fullness of filial life.

“I will not leave you orphans”. Today, on the feast of Pentecost, Jesus’ words remind us also of the maternal presence of Mary in the Upper Room. The Mother of Jesus is with the community of disciples gathered in prayer: she is the living remembrance of the Son and the living invocation of the Holy Spirit. She is the Mother of the Church. We entrust to her intercession, in a particular way, all Christians, families and communities that at this moment are most in need of the Spirit, the Paraclete, the Defender and Comforter, the Spirit of truth, freedom and peace.

His Holiness Pope Francis

Homily, Solemnity of Pentecost (Excerpt)

For more information, please visit: 

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2016/documents/papa-francesco_20160515_omelia-pentecoste.html

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You were especially remembered in prayer during Mass celebrated by His Holiness Pope Francis on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, at the Chapel of Casa Santa Marta.  My husband and I were blessed to be present, thanks be to God.  It was a joy to greet our Holy Father after Mass!  Pope Francis said to us, "Please pray for me," which we assured him we were already doing and I know that you are also united in spirit and prayer.

God bless you!

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Jesus I Trust in You

Eternal God, 

in whom mercy is endless, 

and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, 

look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, 

that in difficult moments, 

we might not despair nor become despondent, 

but with great confidence, 

submit ourselves to Your holy will, 

which is Love and Mercy itself.  

Amen.

(Closing Prayer of the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy)

For information on praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, please visit:  http://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/chaplet.php

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His Holiness Pope Francis led a prayer vigil in Saint Peter’s Square on the on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday 2016 which coincided with the 11th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s death on April 2, 2005.

In remarks prepared for the occasion, our Holy Father reflected on the ‘vast ocean’ that is the mercy of God, saying “so great and infinite is his mercy, to the point that it is greatly challenging to describe it in all its entirety”.

“How many expressions there are of God’s mercy! This mercy comes to us as closeness and tenderness, and because of this, comes also as compassion and solidarity, as consolation and forgiveness. The more we receive, the more we are called to share it with others; it cannot be kept hidden or kept only for ourselves. It is something which burns within our hearts, driving us to love, thus recognizing the face of Jesus Christ, above all in those who are most distant, weak, alone, confused and marginalized.”

For more information, please visit:

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-leads-prayer-vigil-for-divine-mercy

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I have always had a great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  During this Jubilee of Mercy I have found myself drawn also to the complementary Divine Mercy devotion.  Thanks to the advice of a special priest confessor I have been praying the Chaplet each day, sometimes asking for mercy for myself or for another person specifically by name.  It is quite powerful and it truly helps me to experience Christ's peace.

The message of Divine Mercy is simple, beautiful and profound:  Trust in Jesus who said to Saint Faustina, "I  am Love and Mercy itself.  When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls."  When we experience Christ's choicest blessings we feel compelled to share them with others.

May you experience the mercy, love and peace of our Risen Lord!

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